February 28, 2015

Publication title: mysanantonio.com, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: San Antonio
Writer: Hector Saldana

Sarah McLachlan – levity and love at Majestic Theatre

SAN ANTONIO – Lovefest is an understatement.

Sarah McLachlan’s sold-out concert Friday at Majestic Theatre lived up to her promise of newfound levity (her musicality is a given).

But both were maybe exceeded by the enormous outpouring of affection for the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a symbol of empowerment through her lyrics and her activism.

Of course, she gave back as much as she received, and really let fans into her world by inviting a select dozen up onto the stage to watch from a comfy couch and she even answered questions from fans.
McLachlan is promoting her latest album, “Shine On.”

“We’re all in this together,” said McLachlan, explaining she aimed at “breaking down the fourth wall.”
“Building a Mystery” and “Aida” came early with McLachlan singing from behind a grand piano, backed by her four-piece band. The diverse audience of about 2,200 hung on her every word and lyric, from the hopefulness of “Answer” to the devastating mournful beauty of “Heart Break.”

She used the 24-song show to encourage fans, delivering uplifting messages along the way.
“Remember to be kind to others,” she said. “I have high hopes for humanity.”

Seven songs into part 1 of the two-part show, McLachlan welcomed social media contest winners sporting orange wristbands to come up onto the stage.

She also reached into a black hat and pulled out some questions from fans. One asked if she would marry him. “No, I will not marry you,” she joked.

Another wanted a quick hello. “Hi, Kate!” McLachlan said.

Then, it was time to hang out with the six fans on the couch where the singer talked about her love for Peter Gabriel and meeting him in New Orleans when she was 21.

“I am a massive, massive fan. I just lost my (expletive) completely,” she said.

McLachlan posed for selfies with them. One woman asked her, “Can I tap your ass?”

“You mean just give it a little push?” said McLachlan before receiving a little love tap on her bottom.
Then it was time for McLachlan to “sing a happy love song.”

“I don’t have too many of those,” she joked before “Loving You is Easy,” a bouncing pop number.

She closed the first set with “Monsters” (McLachlan played a Fender Telecaster electric guitar) and “Stupid.”

McLachlan’s new album was informed by the death of her father. She opened the second set on acoustic guitar to sing “Song for My Father,” which recalled the gentle gallop of Simon & Garfunkel.

“I Will Remember You” was classic McLachlan, as the singer smiled between phrases, heaved her shoulders as she played piano and looked lovingly at her fans.

“Brink of Disaster,” is actually a hopeful love song, she explained. It started life as a sad song but turned around after the singer unexpectedly fell in love again.

Her signature sound is characterized by swelling keyboard pads, echoing guitar lines and a nod to the mid-tempo ’70s rock of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks.

She reached near-gospel fervor on “Witness,” albeit delivered with a smoldering and sexy vocal.

As in the first set, McLachlan brought fans up to the couch set up on the side of the stage.
She answered questions about her favorite colors – “usually indigo blue, chartreuse or blood red.”
She showed off her Canadian accent and sang a verse of “How Dry I Am,” which she used to sing “at my mom’s tea parties.”

(McLachlan later sang a quick verse of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” explaining that she’s forced to listen to Top 40 radio whenever she’s driving her daughters to and from school).

The night’s loudest reception was saved for “Possession” and “Angel.”

But the lightness got its due, too.

“OK, it’s time for dessert,” she said. “I hope you guys are gonna help me sing.”

That was the cue for “Ice Cream” and McLachlan’s new cute number, “The Sound That Love Makes,” which is instantly catchy and sounds like it was born on a romantic, jazzy night in New Orleans.